Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Let’s face
it. The moment Far cry 3 blood dragon began circulating the net we all believed
it was a joke. I mean who in their right minds would take this seriously? Well
the joke’s on us as the game turned to be quite real but is it a worthy
addition to the far cry franchise or it simply a joke gone too far?

The future is so cool!

It’s plot,
if you would call it that, takes places in the future er umm the past…2007
version of the 80’s? Anyways it revolves around a man named Rex 'Power' Colt an ex soldier
turned cyber commando. Sent to a desolated island with this partner spider you
are tasked with stopping Sloan, a mad man bent on starting nuclear war. Despite
its quirkiness Blood Dragon takes its plot quite seriously which it makes it
hilarious at the same time.

While the
game does sport a fresh coat of paint Blood Dragon is still Far Cry 3 at its
heart. Gameplay is practically the same with very minute changes. Instead of
pirates it’s cyber soldiers, instead of camps its fortresses, instead of a
pistol it’s robocops gun, and instead of animals it’s...cyborg animals. If you jumped on the assumption that Blood Dragon is a fancy mod then I suppose you're right. But that doesn't necessarily means it lacks quality. Level design, enemies, guns, and even those awesome cyborg hand animations all look spectacular. There are
of course a few exclusions: the island is a lot smaller, no crafting feature, and aside from leader boards there’s practically no online mode.

Run to the hills

Blood
Dragon does bring new things to the table most notably the blood dragons
themselves. These guys are vicious and extremely deadly. Approaching them alone
is unwise, especially without a strategy. Did I mention they fire 'freakin' lazer beams out their eyes?! Two shots and its lights out.

Adios

You
can however also use them to your advantage. Collecting cyber hearts from your dead
foes will allow you to use them as bait to attract blood dragons. If used properly they can become a wild card
when dealing with hordes of enemies and capturing fortresses. Overall I feel
fighting them is where most of the fun happens. It requires planning and puts your skills to the test. The feeling can be similarily described to the Monster Hunter games. Thus it kinda breaks my heart to lean there is no online mode as this could’ve really
made dealing with dragon more fun.

Retro vision

Unlike the
fresh and colorful Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon sports an 80’s version of the future
with tron like visuals and everything. Enemies sprout blue goo and guns light up like pulse riffles. While the first few hours look cool the overuse of blue, red, and occasionally green lighting sort of gets a bit old.

The 80's: where lazer 'pew pews' were born

What doesn't get get old is the soundtrack. It's hands down one of the best VG tracks to come out in a while with beats really brings out the glorious retro B-movie synth. The voice acting is exceptionally well done with Michael Bien stealing the show that brings the cheesy
dialogue to life.

Ending with a bang

The main worry I have with blood dragon is its heavy reliance on nostalgia. If you’re a fan of, or were born in the decade, then you will mostly likely find Blood Dragon quite amusing. If you aren't then you may not get the full immersion that it's trying to offer you. But even then, Blood Dragon is still a solid shooter that justifies it's 15 dollar price tag. Even with a 4 hour campaign, the extra side missions, weapon upgrades, nostalgia humor, and blood dragons will keep you going
and for a while.